Field Note #4 – Managing Stars: Yes, They’re Brilliant. No, It’s Not Easy.

Some teammates unlock the impossible — and then wreck your sprint.
Stars raise the bar, shape the culture, and define what's achievable.
You don’t build high-leverage systems with just average parts.
But brilliance doesn’t come with an instruction manual.

Why Stars Are Hard

• They know they’re good — and expect exceptions.
• Many are individualists — not team-first by default.
• Two stars on one team? Sparks will fly.
• Their needs often clash with team structure, rituals, or predictability.
• They may reject coaching — unless it comes from someone they truly respect.
• They may be very reluctant to ask for help — even when they need it.

Example:
I’ve seen it more than once: senior people stuck in silence. Whether it’s a dev lost in legacy code or an architect paralyzed mid-PoC — they won’t always ask for help. You need to spot the moment.
So if stars are that tricky — how do you even structure a team around them?

Team Models: How Many Stars Is Too Many?

You can’t scale chaos. But you can harness it.

All-star team: Rare, expensive, high-ego. Works for moonshots — but fragile.
And it’s not just expensive in salary. It’s expensive in manager time, coordination overhead, and emotional bandwidth.
I once saw a startup hire five “visionary leads.” Six weeks later — zero releases, three rewrites, and one glorious ego clash. Brilliant minds, no delivery.

Balanced team (1–2 stars): Ideal. Leverage without overload.
Give your people stretch goals and room to grow — they might surprise you.
One of my strongest managers went from test lead to PgM in two years — with aggressive goal-setting.
Just be careful: some shine in interviews and vanish in delivery. Spot the fakes early — or they’ll cost you twice.

In commoditized delivery — the “McDonalds model” — process replaces talent. It works at scale, but won’t get you far if your product depends on insight or creativity.

Key point:
Stars shine brightest when the system supports their light — but doesn’t depend on it.

But even with a balanced team, things don’t run on autopilot.
If you’ve got a star onboard — or more than one — your job isn’t done.
Now you have to make it work.

Managing Stars Without Losing the Team

• Don’t let the team orbit your stars — align stars around value and users.
• Focus them on high-leverage problems. Give them autonomy - within clear boundaries
• Involve them early — in discovery, architecture, trade-offs.
• Build mutual respect — not hero worship. Stars need an ecosystem to shine.
• Balance exceptions with visible fairness — give them some slack, but ask for something in return.
• Create escape valves: parallel tracks, exploratory spikes, focused side quests.

Example:
I once had a team with two stars — both in testing. One was a veteran test manager. The other — a young, brilliant automation lead.
Different styles. Different visions. They clashed at every meeting.
But I needed both.
Moderation, clear boundaries, and constant refocusing helped. Eventually, I moved them to separate teams. But for over six months, we kept them working together — and delivered the product.

Lesson: Sometimes “managing stars” means managing space. Space for trust, for focus — and when needed, for distance.

Reflection

• Stars aren’t inherently “better.”
• They are different — in how they think, act, and create value.
• They are business enablers — but they need strong execution to thrive.
• The goal isn’t to change them — but to channel them.

The real lesson?
Leading stars isn’t about ego management.
It’s about creating space where brilliance serves the team — not overrides it.

What’s Your Story?

Done right, star leadership isn’t control — it’s alignment.
Got your own stories? I’d love to hear them.

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Written by Ilya Komakhin